1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to shrimp analog products formed from heat coagulable vegetable protein as a primary or sole source of protein to be used therein.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Shrimp analog products which are formulated with heat coagulable vegetable based protein such as soybean derivatives, rather than natural seafood based protein, are known in the art, see in this regard U.S. Pat. No. 3,852,484.
These products are made by extruding the vegetable protein based composition under such conditions, including a temperature of about 150.degree. to 190.degree. C., as to induce the formation of the protein material into an oriented, heat set, fibrous form that simulates the texture of natural seafoods.
It has also been proposed to add certain starches such as starches made from corn, wheat and rice to these protein texturization processes in an effort to improve the juiciness and chewiness qualities of the resulting extruded products. See in this regard, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,886,299.
These efforts to improve the juiciness and chewiness of the final products, however, have not been successful to date in providing shrimp analog products that have a level of firmness and elasticity characteristic of natural shrimp.
The extrudable prior art vegetable protein based compositions, in general, have the following compositions, based on the essential component content thereof;
______________________________________ Component of Prior Art Extrudable Weight % Range Composition For Seafood Analog Products of Component ______________________________________ Water 20 to 40 Heat Coagulable Vegetable Protein 10 to 70 Other Heat Coagulable Protein .gtoreq.0 to 25 Non-Heat Coagulable Protein .gtoreq.0 to 30 Starch .gtoreq.0 to 5 ______________________________________
with the remainder being flavorants and colorants, to attain a total of 100%.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,900,573 discloses the use of certain inhibited or crosslinked starches in simulated meat products to produce a product that is stable under retort stabilization conditions. The patent indicates that mono- and diglycerides may be used as plasticizers in these products. The patent does not discuss, in any way, the manufacture of shrimp analog products, and with any lipid-amylose starch complex.